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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Welcome Tina, one of my favorite guests, who helped me find my way around Blogger!

Tina just finished her Executive Wives’ Club series which combines elements of women fiction with the passion of romance.

The Family Tree series has two books out – Summer’s Growth and Fallen Leaves. Winter’s Wonders is the next book Tina is planning to write. This is a paranormal romantic suspense series, the books follow the keeper of the Winston manor and the trials she has to overcome to remain in the house of her ancestors.

ABOUT MATING RITUALS

With rock-hard fortitude, Marohka Taunton battles to maintain her position as
top mineralogist and refuses to see why she should marry even if the law
requires she take a mate. Fighting her attraction for Stihl Fermesium, she
struggles to save her father’s company.

Stihl, determined to win her as his mate, is faced with the commission deal of
a lifetime and needs the money to save his family land. He wrestles with her
emotional resistance and discovers someone other than Marohka is unhappy about
their union. In fact, they want to separate them in the most basic of ways,
death.

An Excerpt From MATING RITUALS

“All right, ladies, please line
up for the final event of the evening–The Ladies Parade,” a voice boomed from
the speakers. “Give your partner a smile and a curtsy, and then ascend the
stairs to the stage area.”

“Right,” Marohka reasoned,
“like I need any man.”

Harold, the father presenter,
liked to follow the old habit of bowing to one’s partner. The custom to him
added romance and grandeur to the evening. She could’ve told him differently,
but with him being an old stick from a bygone era and a hopeless romantic, he
wouldn’t have listened.

“Now, gentlemen, here are the
rules. Although, you might know them, I’ll restate them again so no problems
will occur because you forgot what you’re supposed to do.” Harold paused a
moment and scanned the crowd. “So listen carefully.”

Marohka and the other girls
started up both sides of the twin staircases. Harold stood at the top of the
landing, dressed in his usual green plaid suit. His cheeks colored with his
excitement.

“Each one of these lovely
ladies will be carrying a small placard with a number printed on it.” Harold
showed them a sample card. “The number is not how many mates she desires.” The
crowd broke into the expected laughter. Harold grinned.

She wished her sign displayed a
zero. Even one man was more than she needed. All evening, she’d avoided them.
If a man approached, she offered him a rude comment and walked away to prove
her lack of interest in catching a mate.

“If you’re attracted to a certain
lady and want to meet her in the mating arena, take note of her number. If you
write down the wrong number, you’ll be matched with a different girl, which
would result in an unwelcome surprise.” Harold released a small cough of humor.

“You can choose three women. In
the end, however, you’ll only be mated with one.”

A good-natured roar of
disappointment exploded from the men in the hall. Marohka rolled her eyes at
the typical male response.

Harold sighed. “Sorry, boys,
that’s the rule. The Council of Elders will determine which girl on your list
will become your mate. Then it’s up to you to pass the next challenges. The
first duel is at three sharp in the battling arena. Be sure to check the
schedule. If you miss your fight time, you’ll be out of the running and will
have to wait until next year.”

Turning to the girls standing
beside him, Harold added. “Ladies, don’t worry. An escort will be sent to your
room to make sure you arrive on time.”

As the oldest unmated girl,
Marohka stood at the front of the line. Her future suspended on the edge of
success. She’d led the other girls down the red carpet, along the edge of the
dance floor, through the ballroom, and then back up the twin staircase on the
other side of the room many times. She drew in a deep breath, preparing for her
final steps to freedom.

Harold glanced at her and
nodded. “At the top of the list from the Taunton family is our special
princess, Marohka. A smart girl, she’ll offer any man a stimulating adventure,
where life will never be boring. She works hard and . . .”

Stepping forward, she cut off
Harold’s words by moving off the stage and out of the spotlight. She detested
the Royal Presenter selling her to these men. With her job of finding
qualtrilium and keeping her father’s company afloat, she had all the challenges
she needed in life.

Lustralia’s law might require
Royal girls to be present at the charade. But with this being her final year of
mandatory attendance, victory stood in sight. All she had to do was navigate
the man-infested waters between here and the staircase on the other side of the
room. Freedom waited.

She reached the bottom of the
staircase. Her path led her past a legion of men. From tall, dark, and handsome
to fair-haired wonders, an array of eligible men lined her route. Dressed in
fine, silk coats and tight fitted pants, they represented hundreds of Royal
families across the great land. All showed excellent breeding and genteel
manners. Any one of them would make a good mate to the girls behind her, but
none tempted her to lose her freedom.

Staring straight ahead, she
avoided eye contact with every man she passed. Moving along the edge of the
dance floor, she wove her way back and forth across the assigned path. Her
steps, jerky and clumsy, she hid her natural smooth gait. No man, in his right
mind, craved an ungraceful wife. At least, she hoped not.

With the stairs a few steps
ahead, she tasted victory and allowed herself a sigh of relief. “Thank
goodness.”

A masculine voice in front of
her chuckled. “It’s not over yet, princess.”

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

I always enjoy hosting Kim as much as I enjoy her books. I fell in love with the play Camelot at age 3, when my mother went to see it on Broadway, starring Richard Burton and Julie Andrews. The soundtrack album played in my house constantly. The whole Arthurian legend fascinated me, and still does.

Kim sent me 3 excerpts of Raging Sea: Reckonings: a PG version, PG-13, and R-rated. I went with the PG-13, right in the middle. If you'd like to see the R version, let me know!

Kim lives on a farm in southwestern Virginia with her family, cats,
goats, Great Pyrenees goat guards, and assorted wildlife. People and creatures
come and go, but the cave and the 250-year-old house ruins—the latter having
been occupied as recently as the mid-twentieth century—seem to be sticking
around for a while yet. She has been an award-winning novelist since 1999
(Dawnflight 1st edition, Sonnet Books, Simon & Schuster) and has
been studying the Arthurian Legends for nigh on half a century.

Stripped of kin, clan, country, and even his identity for having failed the
most important woman in his life and her infant son, Angusel begins the arduous
task of rebuilding his life and reclaiming his honor. The path he treads is
fraught with uncomfortable revelations, unexpected reconciliations… and
unavoidable reckonings.

Gull gave Angusel a measuring stare, glanced at the skies—which had
remained calm, and the temperature was behaving itself for once—and reached a
decision. “Elian, the wood can keep. Our wee lion cub needs a woman. So do I,
truth be told.” He picked up his sword.

Over Angusel’s embarrassed, “What!”
soared Elian’s hearty laughter. “I suppose you know just the place,” said the
centurion with a grin.

“Of course. Don’t you?” Gull shot back. When he got no response, he
continued, “How long has it been for ye, auld boar?”

Elian’s grin soured. He pivoted on his wooden leg and stomped inside the
cottage. Without looking back he said, “None of your cac-licking business. Take
him, then. Just don’t be all day about it.” The words faded with distance until
the last few were almost inaudible.

Monday, December 14, 2015

My friend and one of my favorite guests Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime
member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in
romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged
as, Inspirational with an Edge! ™ and reviewed as steamier
and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the
message. 

Music is the magical
entry into the spirit world; the golden gate into the Kingdom of God. But we
mustn't be of the mindset that God only uses Christian music to reach out and
touch our mind, heart and spirit. God uses any and every
means available to speak to His children.

Our job is to be open and
receptive.

In this devotional, Pamela
S. Thibodeaux shares how God opened her spirit to a deeper understanding of the
abundance of His grace and mercy through the words of the song, The Rose
sung by Country & Western artist Conway Twitty.

Pamela offers Seeds to
Ponder and a prayer as she parallels the love of God and the Christian life
to each verse of the song.

Excerpt: Some say love, it is a
hunger, an endless aching need...

How very true! The Bible
speaks of a longing of our soul to be in communion with the Lord. Psalm 42 says,
"As the hind longs for running water, so my soul longs for thee, oh
God..."

Endless, aching need; we
all feel it–the need to be loved, to be worthy; the ache to know God more
intimately and to glorify Him.

Many describe this aspect
of their walk with God as an ache or a hunger which is forever present.
Sometimes it is more prevalent than others but always there….Thee need to be
close to Him, to know His will, to feel His presence, to be made worthy and
whole by His Holy Spirit.

Just when we feel we've
gotten closer to Him still, the ache smarts again––deeper, more desperate
than the last time. A longing that cannot be described––one that can only be
satisfied by the Holy Spirit leading you closer and deeper into the Sacred
Heart of Jesus.

Every one of us can relate
to the insatiable hunger we've experienced in our lives. Many times we seek
after and pursue more…bigger and better things (money, houses,
cars, jobs) thinking those will satisfy, not realizing the hunger in our soul is
one only God can satisfy. As I look back over my life, I recall a time when I
got wrapped up in the things of the world, and yet, I've always been a seeker
of peace above all things. Oh, that we would teach our children that more is not
better and the more things you have, the more time you'll spend taking care of
them and the less time you'll have to pursue what really matters in
life--people and relationships!

The accumulation of things
will never satisfy the soul like an intimate relationship with the Creator and
His creation. Get rid of the stuff in your life and see how much peace
there is in simplicity.

Monday, December 7, 2015

My great grandparents, James and Josephine Arnone, were married on December 4, 1915. My New York historical romance, FROM HERE TO FOURTEENTH STREET, has been released with The Wild Rose Press, and my heroine Vita is based on her--a woman way ahead of her time. She left grade school to become a successful real estate investor as she married and raised 4 children.

FROM HERE TO FOURTEENTH STREET is Book One of the New York Saga.

It's 1894 on New York's Lower East Side. Irish cop Tom McGlory and Italian immigrant Vita Caputo fall in love despite their different upbringings. Vita goes from sweatshop laborer to respected bank clerk to reformer, helping elect a mayor to beat the Tammany machine. While Tom works undercover to help Ted Roosevelt purge police corruption, Vita's father arranges a marriage between her and a man she despises. When Tom’s cousin is murdered, Vita’s father and brother languish in jail, charged with the crime. Can Vita and Tom’s love survive poverty, hatred, and corruption?
Excerpt:
On her way up the stairs, she glanced down the hall and noticed the closed parlor door. Maybe one of the other boarders was in there with a beau. She smiled in the dark. Let them enjoy themselves. All the girls here had beaux, and they needed privacy without chaperones breathing down their necks during every stage of courting.
As she gathered her soap and towel, Madame Branchard tapped on her door. “You have a gentleman caller, Vita. A policeman.”
“Tom?” His name lingered on her lips as she repeated it. She dropped her things and crossed the room.
“No, hon, not him. Another policeman. Theodore something, I think he said.”No. There can’t be anything wrong. “Thanks,” she whispered, gently nudging Madame Branchard aside. She descended the steps, gripping the banister to support her wobbly legs. Stay calm! she warned herself. But of course it was no use; staying calm just wasn’t her nature.
“Theodore something” stood before the closed parlor door. He’s a policeman? Curious, she looked him up and down. Tall and hefty, a bold pink shirt peeking out of a buttoned waistcoat and fitted jacket, he looked way out of place against the dainty patterned wallpaper.
He removed his hat. “Miss Caputo.” He strained to keep his voice soft as he held out a piece of paper.
“Yes?” Her voice shook.
“I’m Theodore Roosevelt. I have a summons for you, Miss Caputo.” He held it out to her. But she stood rooted to that spot.
He stepped closer, and she took it from him, unfolding it with icy fingers. Why would she be served with a summons? Was someone arresting her now for something she didn’t do?
A shot of anger tore through her at this system, at everything she wanted to change. It eclipsed her fear, made her blood boil. She flipped it open and saw the word “Summons” in fancy script at the top. Her eyes widened with each sentence as she read. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”